PERTH’S NEWEST CHURCH OF ST JOHN PAUL II BANKIA GROVE DEDICATED AND OPENED ON AUSTRALIA DAY
By Jamie O'Brien
God is asking us to see the new church building of St John Paul II Banksia Grove as a powerful symbol of all that he is calling us to be, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has said.
Celebrating the dedication and opening of the new Church at Banksia Grove, Thursday 26 January, Archbishop Costelloe was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, Vicar General Fr Peter Whitely VG, Parish Priest Fr Vinh Dong and assisted by Deacon Nicholas Diedler.
Also joining Archbishop Costelloe for the occasion was Geraldton Emeritus Bishop Justin Bianchini and Bishop Joseph Dang Duc Nguyen from the Diocese of Thanh Hóa, Vietnam. Some 1000 people from across Banksia Grove and the surrounding suburbs came together for the occasion, which commenced with
a lion dance and flag bearers to demonstrate the multicultural element of the parish.
Gathered at the outside entrance of the Church, which includes a life-size statue of St John Paul II, Archbishop Costelloe blessed the relics of three saints – St John Paul II, St Mary MacKillop and St Agnes Le Thi Thanh, the only female Vietnamese martyr – which were carried into the new Church with the procession by three families of the parish.
The relics were later fixed into the front of the altar by Archbishop Costelloe.
Speaking in his homily, Archbishop Costelloe reflected on the words from scripture, ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church,’.
“The Church, of which we are all a part, looks back to that first group of disciples whom Jesus gathered around him, with Peter as their leader,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“It is the Church to which Jesus gave the gift of his Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
“It is the Church which, from those early beginnings, set out on a journey which has lasted for over two thousand years. And it is the Church which gathers, here in this place, on this day, as we come together and come, rejoicing, into the house of God,” he said.
The congregation was then led to the front of the Church to the sound of bagpipes where Archbishop Costelloe was presented with the keys and plans of the new Church building by Ross and Grant DWA Architects and Metrocon Builders. Archbishop Costelloe cut the ribbon with the assistance of Fr Vinh Dong and also unveiled the stone plaque at the entrance.
A parishioner gives the acknowledgement to country during the dedication and opening Mass of the St John Paul II Church, Banksia Grove, Thursday 26 January. PHOTO: JAMIE O'BRIEN.
CARDINAL PELL: GOD DOES NOT HAVE FAVOURITES, SAYS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has this week Wednesday 1 February celebrated a Mass for the Dead ahead of the burial of Cardinal George Pell at St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.
Cardinal Pell passed away Tuesday 10 January, aged 81. Sources close to Cardinal Pell told The Record that he had been talking with the anaesthetist in hospital following the procedure when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest, at Salvator Mundi hospital in Rome and passed away shortly before 9 pm local time. Born in Ballarat in June 1941, Cardinal Pell entered the seminary in Werribee 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1966 in Rome by Cardinal Gregorio Pietro Agagianian. He quickly became a rising star in the Australian church and went on to have a prominent ecclesial career, being appointed as auxiliary bishop for Melbourne in 1987 and as then
as Archbishop in 1996.
In 2001, Cardinal Pell was appointed Archbishop, going on to be made Cardinal in 2003 now St (Pope) John Paul II in 2003, participating in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away 31 December at the age of 95.
Speaking at the 1.10pm Mass in Sydney, Archbishop Costelloe said we are all equally brothers and sisters in the communion of the Church, and all equally children of our one Father in heaven.
“As Saint Paul reminds us in his Letter to the Romans, “God does not have favourites”,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“This is why we find, at the heart of every Catholic funeral, a focus on the mystery of death and on the Church’s trusting faith in the promise of eternal life and in the certainty of God’s mercy and compassion,” he said.
Huge turnout is expected for final farewell
The Archdiocese of Sydney is pulling out all stops to remember and pray for Cardinal George Pell at a Solemn Pontifical Mass of Christian Burial at St Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday 2 February, including a motet especially composed for the occasion.
Preparations have been underway for the last fortnight at the Cathedral for the event which is expected to draw the largest attendance the country has seen for the burial of any Catholic Church leader since the funeral of Melbourne Archbishop Daniel Mannix in 1963.
The Mass for the individual from Ballarat who rose to be eighth Archbishop of Australia’s senior archdiocese, a cardinal and eventually the first Prefect for the Economy of the Vatican will commence at 11am.
Pope Francis leads the final commendation at the funeral of Australian Cardinal George Pell in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Saturday 14 January, 2023. Cardinal Pell, former Prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, died Tuesday 10 January in Rome at the age of 81. PHOTO: GIOVANNI PORTELLI/ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY.
THE GIFT OF LIFE IS THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT OF ALL, SAYS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has last month said that as people of faith, we know that the gift of life is the most precious gift
of all, for without it there is no possibility of anything: no chance to love, no chance to hope, no chance to believe.
Speaking at the Memorial Mass for Joshua Subi, the 13-year-old son of Cathedral worker Subi Sadasivan, Archbishop Costelloe was joined by Vicar General, the Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG, Cathedral Assistant Priest Fr Richard Rutkaukas, South Perth Parish Priest, Msgr Brian O’Loughlin and several visiting priests from the Syro-Malabar Rite.
Aged just 13, Joshua passed away 6 December 2021 following a short battle with cancer.
He is survived by his father Subi, mother Jaysuria and brother Amal.
The family, who hails originally from Kerala, India, and converted to Catholicism in 2016 were joined by more than 500 family and friends for the occasion.
KALGOORLIE PAIR COMPLETE UN DEBATE AS FINALISTS
Students from John Paul College, Faizan Kashif and Mary Gough, qualified for the finals of the prestigious Model UN Evatt Trophy debating competition, held on 23 September at Parliament House in Perth.
The annual competition aims to engage high school students in world affairs through debating mock
Security Council resolutions from the position of an assigned country. In the preliminary rounds, teams of students were allocated a country, which is a member of the UN Security Council, and challenged to scrutinise and debate two resolutions on world affairs.
Students debated whether Brazil, Australia and the US should be
held accountable for the impact of bushfires in their jurisdictions as well as their mismanagement of the bushfires causing further issues, as well as the feasibility of mining for fossil fuels on other planets.
Representing Mexico, the Year 11 students had four of their amendments passed.
Mary said the competition allows students to research and argue global issues and empathise with issues faced by a foreign country.
“It’s a great exercise because as a country, you’re not necessarily sharing your opinion, but you’re sharing the opinion of the country so it’s a good thing being able to empathise and understand where people are coming from when they share different opinions.
“(To prepare) you do a lot of research on the country that you’re given on its economic status, its political alliances, and the demographic of the people who live in that country to really understand their values,” she added.
Subi Sadasivan with his wife Jayasuria and son Amal at the gravesite of Joshua, who passed away 6 December 2021. PHOTO: BIJU JOSEPH.
John Paul College Kalgoorlie students Faizan Kashif and Mary Gough, qualified for the finals of the prestigious Model UN Evatt Trophy debating competition, held on 23 September at Parliament House in Perth. PHOTO: SUPPLIED / CEWA.
SALESIAN ORDINATION: FIVE MEN MOULDED INTO LIVING IMAGES OF JESUS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
By Jamie O'Brien
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has last weekend told five new Salesians priests that they will be called to renew and deepen even more than before the total gift of themselves to God which they made at their first profession.
Speaking at St Francis Catholic Church, Melbourne, Archbishop Costelloe, himself a Salesian, ordained Fathers Jeff Miller SDB, Kevin Fiame SDB, Eteuati Milo SDB, Peter Tran Ngoc Duc SDB and Joseph Huong SDB, Saturday, 28 January 2023. The Lord, said Archbishop Costelloe, is asking the men to let go of everything holding them back from giving themselves fully and finally
to God; to surrender themselves to God and allow God to remake them, to reshape them, into something, or rather someone, new.
“God’s grace is at work within them, moulding them into living images of Jesus the Good Shepherd,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“How else would they be able to do what Jesus calls his ministers to do: to feed his lambs and his sheep?
“This is what shepherds do – this is what Jesus does - and today, Joseph, Jeff, Kevin, Peter and Eteuati, he is telling you that from now on, in a new and powerful way, he intends to do all this through you,” he said.
Concelebrating with Archbishop Costelloe was Melbourne Auxiliary Bishop Tony Ireland, Salesians of Don Bosco Provincial, Fr William Matthews SDB, Salesian
Provincial Council members, Fr Peter Hoang SDB, Fr Peter Carroll SDB, Fr Mosese Tui SDB, Fr Brian Ahern SDB, Fr Anthony Dung SDB, Fr Joseph Lee SDB, Salesians of Don Bosco Vice-Provincial from Vietnam, Fr Kim Khanh SDB and a further 50 priests from across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The ordination, which was livestreamed via YouTube, was attended by more than 800 people. Speaking to The Record following his ordination, Fr Jeff Miller explained he first began considering the priesthood at the age of six when his grandmother assured him that all priests automatically go to heaven when they die.
The newly ordained Salesians of Don Bosco priests – Jeff Miller SDB, Kevin Fiame SDB, Eteuati Milo SDB, Peter Tran Ngoc Duc SDB and Joseph Huong SDB with Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, Melbourne Auxiliary Bishop Tony Ireland, Salesian Provincial Fr William Matthews and fellow clergy of the Salesian Provincial Council. PHOTO: SUPPLIED / SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO.